By Akpan David, Calabar
A number of Cameroonians from the southwest English-speaking side of the country who visited Calabar for a one-week Easter festivities can no longer return home.
The Cameroonian authorities are reported to have imposed a lockdown over resumption of arm hostilities between breakaway Ambazonian Republic and Paul Biya’s government soldiers as well as the COVID-19 resurge.
No fewer than ten of them were seen in Calabar. They were heard lamenting that one of the bus drivers who managed to bring them last week to drop in Calabar through the Mfum-Cameroon border was shot dead upon attempt to meander his way back to pick them back home.
One of them, Simon Ariom, 63, told our reporter that “We were supposed to have returned to our country yesterday having participated in the Easter programmes in our church headquarters but we cannot do that because hostilities have resumed.
“Our monies are dwindling by the day. Our driver that was to come as pick us back home is reported to have been killed by the forces.
“We are told that soldiers of La Republique du Cameroon invaded ‘Ambazonian’ territory killing parents and relatives of Ambazonian soldiers. This provoked the ‘Amba Boys’ to block entry routes even though there’s COVID19 lockdown, too.”
Ariom said it was difficult for them to determine how long it would take them to wait.
He said it is doubly dangerous for them to meander through illegal bush parts.
There are increasing number of the Cameroonians refugees that have flooded Calabar and the refugees camps in Ogoja.
